Wilsonia is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

Tulare County Tulare County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 473,117. The county seat is Visalia. The county is named for Tulare Lake, once the largest freshwater lake west of the Great Lakes. ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Wilsonia sits at an elevation of . It is surrounded by the

General Grant Grove General Grant Grove, a section of the greater Kings Canyon National Park, was established by the U.S. Congress in 1890 and is located in Fresno County, California. The primary attraction of General Grant Grove is the giant sequoia trees that popu ...

section of

Kings Canyon National Park Kings Canyon National Park is an American national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Fresno and Tulare Counties, California. Originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park, the park was greatly expanded and renamed to Kings ...

History

The community of Wilsonia began as a 100-acre plot of land homesteaded in the 1870s. After several ownership changes, the land was subdivided among residents. The village was officially established in 1918. The name “Wilsonia” originates from the United States presidential election of 1916. The outcome of the election was decided by votes from the mountain communities of California, which were delayed due to a snowstorm. To commemorate the area's decisive role in President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

’s reelection, the community was named Wilsonia in his honor.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the CDP covers an area of 0.3 square miles (0.7 km), all of it land. While the village is surrounded by

, the village itself is not part of the National Park, and most of the land within Wilsonia is privately owned. Over 200 cabins are located in the village, many of which are summer residences and vacation homes. The 2010 census placed the permanent population of Wilsonia at 5 residents.https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-6.pdf

Wilsonia Historic District

The entire community of Wilsonia was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1996. The

U.S. Historic district Historic districts in the United States are designated historic districts recognizing a group of buildings, properties, or sites by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures ...

includes 139 contributing historic structures. and

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Tulare County, California Populated places in the Sierra Nevada (United States)